Espagnolette window locking system and bolt construction

Abstract: A bolt construction for use in an espagnolette locking system for the multi-point locking of sashes is made up of a linking rod (16) and a locking pin (17), one or the other of which is of fixed length and the other of which may be any one of a plurality of different lengths, the rod and pin being adapted to be connected together with a snap fit in any one of a plurality of different positions, thereby allowing the length of the interconnecting rod and pin to be chosen to fit a particular size of sash. The invention also provides a bolt construction for use in an espagnolette locking system for multi-point locking of sashes, which bolt construction is formed for assembly within a rebate in a face of the sash by means of a snap fit within the rebate. The invention also extends to a sash fitted with two such bolt constructions.

Description: The present invention relates to a sash with espagnolette locking system, which provides for the multi-point locking of said sash of a window or door via the transmission of a single actuating force, such as a rotary force applied to a central drive gear, to various points along the door or window, hereinafter referred to as a window sash. Typically such systems require adjustment of their interacting components prior to assembly and installation, due to the predetermined relationship between the complementary engaging members at the various locking points on the window sash and frame respectively. Typically there is a central latch between two shoot-bolt arrangements at the opposite edges of the window sash. Assembly can thus be costly and time consuming, since pieces often have to be cut to length. In EP-A-0056484, a sash with an espagnolette locking system is disclosed, in which a traditional multipart espagnolette system forms a snap-fit in a rebate in the frame member of the sash. The multipart espagnolette system comprises a front bar unit having a front bar covering the rebate, a bolting rod slidably attached to the front bar and a U-shaped holder provided with resilient tongues engaging relief-cut ridges or ribs in the rebate. Once the front bar unit has been engaged with a snap-fit in the rebate, it is firmly locked in position, and only the bolting rod can move. This construction has many moving parts which are susceptible to malfunction and is thus expensive to manufacture, and time consuming to assemble. The present invention seeks to provide a sash provided with an epagnolette locking system which is easy to install into the sash, and which has a minimum of moving parts. Preferably, the invention also provides a convenient means of adjusting the length of the shoot bolts of the locking system so that it will fit many different sizes of sash to length, without the need for cutting components. According to the present invention, we provide a sash formed with a rebate therein extending longitudinally along its length, said sash being provided with an espagnolette locking system for its multi-point locking wherein an espagnolette bolt construction is located within said rebate for longitudinal movement therein, and wherein said bolt construction locates in the sash by snap fitting engagement within the rebate in the sash characterised in that said bolt construction and the rebate are formed respectively with co-operating grooves and ribs, so as to permit both the location of the bolt construction with a snap fitting of said bolt construction within the rebate and to permit the bolt construction to slide lengthwise of the rebate on said ribs after it has been located within the rebate. Preferably, the bolt construction incorporates an axial linking rod extending between a drive gear and a locking pin, the linking rod having on each side face thereof a projection so that the rod can snap into a complementary rebate provided along the exposed edge of said door or sash. The projection may be defined by grooves in tapered side faces of the rod which are engaged with projecting ribs provided on each side of the rebate. The groove in the linking rod to receive the locking pin may be oriented with respect to said window sash rebate such that the open face of the groove is outermost. In such a case, the open face would preferably be covered by means of a separate planar coverstrip, which may be clipped into additional grooves provided in said sash rebate, such that a flat face is visible. Preferably, however, the said groove faces inwardly and a separate overlapping cover strip is provided to extend over the sash rebate between an end portion of the linking rod and a corner of the door or sash frame to overlie any exposed portion of the locking pin. This cover strip may also form a snap-fit within the rebate. Preferably, the bolt construction is axially adjustable so as to permit its installation in window sashes of different dimensions, said bolt construction comprising a linking rod and a locking pin adapted to be connected together with a snap fit in any one of a plurality of different positions, thereby allowing the length of the interconnected rod and locking pin to be chosen to fit a particular size of sash. The bolt construction is adapted for use with and connectable to a drive gear adapted to be located in a central region of the sash, said drive rod and locking pin being adapted to snap fit together in any one of a plurality of relative positions, thereby allowing the length of the interconnected rod and locking pin to be chosen to fit a particular size of sash. Normally, two such bolt constructions would be used with one drive gear. The drive rod may be of a fixed standard length, enabling an appropriate length of window locking pin to be selected for connection thereto according to the dimensions of said sash. In an alternative embodiment, the locking pin is of a fixed standard length, and the drive rod is of a length selected according to the dimensions of said sash. Preferably, in either embodiment, said window locking pin is adapted to be located with a force fit within a roughened portion on said linking rod. The roughened portion may be provided by knurling, circumferential ribs, a screw thread, or the like. The linking rod is connected to a drive member of an espagnolette drive gear in known or other manner, so that it can be operated as any other espagnolette mechanism. The espagnolette bolt constructions described above can be used with a standard handle operated espagnolette drive gear, which is associated with a roller cam, so as to provide axially movable locking pins, bolt constructions, terminating in variable length so as to render the complete espagnolette drive mechanism incorporatable into a sash of any dimension. On its edge(s) accommodating the espagnolette mechanism, the sash is preferably provided at each corner with a corner piece, against which said cover strip abuts and within which is provided a circular guide for the alignment of said locking pin during motion thereof as a result of the locking operation. The corner piece may be mounted on said sash by screw fittings or, preferably, via a snap-fit connection. From the foregoing it can be seen that the present invention provides a locking system which can be assembled rapidly and conveniently by snapping together the component parts as described above. A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section through one end of a window sash incorporating part of an espagnolette mechanism and shows the mechanism at the mid point of lock travel with a locking bolt shown in mid adjustment, part of the sash being omitted for the sake of clarity; FIGURE 2 is a transverse section along the line 2-2 of Figure 1, through both the window sash and its frame; FIGURE 3 is a transverse section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1; FIGURE 4 is a transverse section along the line 4-4 of Figure 1, to an enlarged scale; FIGURE 5 is an exploded, partial perspective view, to an enlarged scale, of a bolt construction formed of a linking rod showing its internal relationship with a window locking pin. Referring to Figure 2, a window frame is shows at 8 and a window sash at 10. The sash 10 has the usual rebate 21, sometimes known as a Euro-groove, into which a linking rod portion 16 of a drive rod for an espagnolette locking mechanism is located. Traditionally, in known constructions (not shown) the drive rod has been formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending diametral slots through which fixing screws pass, the screws engaging in holes formed in an enlarged area 9 of the base of the rebate 21, with the heads of the screws holding a plurality of retaining plates against the cheeks of the rebate 21, and thus holding the drive rod in the rebate 21. Due to the slots in the rod, it can, however, slide to and fro in the rebate. Such a construction is, however, time consuming to assemble. Referring now to Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, there is shown a drive gear housing 11 supporting an associated roller cam 12. As can be seen from Figure 3, the drive gear housing 11 is mounted in the sash 10 to project through the base of the rebate 21. The roller cam 12 has a mushroom head 31 which fits into a cavity 32 formed in a keep member 33 which is attached by one or more screws 34 to the window frame 8. The cam 12 is operable via a handle (not shown) which drives a spindle 14. The spindle 14 drives a gear pinion (not shown) which is connected to an axial drive device 15. As so far described, the mechanism is of known construction. The axial drive device 15 is connected in known or other manner to a generally channel-shaped axial linking rod 16. In accordance with this invention, the rod 16 forms a snap-fit into the sash rebate or Euro-groove 21. As is best seen in Figures 1, 2 and 5, the axial linking rod 16 is of generally rectangular cross-section, but each of its sides has a taper 27 so as to diverge towards a top wall. Where the tapers 27 begin on each side wall, recesses 23 are provided, extending along the full length of the rod 16. These recesses 23 co-operate with longitudinally extending ribs 22 which are formed in known manner on the inner faces of the rebate 21. To assemble rod 16 in the sash, it is pushed into the rebate 21, until the ribs 22 snap into the recesses 23 running along the length of linking rod 16 and located at the junction of the double tapers. Also in accordance with a preferred feature of this invention, the linking rod 16 has a circular groove 50 formed throughout its length in the top wall to receive a locking pin 17 of co-operating circular cross-section. The majority of the surface of the pin 17 is knurled, ribbed, threaded or otherwise roughened as shown at 52, and the end portion of groove 50 remote from the end connected to the drive device 15 is likewise knurled, ribbed, threaded or otherwise roughened as at 51 for frictional engagement with the pin 17 when it is snapped into the groove 50. This arrangement allows the combined length of rod 16 and locking pin 17 to be adjusted at will to suit the dimension of the sash to which it is to be fitted. If the pin 17, and preferably the groove 50 as well, are threaded, fine length adjustment can be obtained by twisting the pin 17 about its longitudinal axis. It will also be appreciated that the linking rod 16 could alternatively be twisted about its longitudinal axis to achieve fine length adjustment, provided the appropriate screw thread was provided. As is best seen in Figure 2, the base 7 of the linking rod 16 completely fills the mouth of rebate 21, thus presenting a neat appearance. The rod 16 has a projecting tail 6 at its end remote from drive device 15 which assists this function, and which has a rebate 4 on its internal face to accommodate an end of a cover strip 18 (see also Figure 4). At the corner of the sash 10, an L-shaped guide member 19 having a circular aperture 20 therein for guiding the free end of the locking pin 17 is secured to the sash 10 by screws 190. It should be realised, however, that by suitably modifying the member 19 by providing longitudinal grooves in each side face of each arm thereof, the screws 190 could be dispensed with and the member 19 could then form a snap fit into the rebates 21 of the sash by engaging with the ribs 22. As can be seen from Figure 1, the cover strip 18 is located between an end face of the guide member 19 and the axial linking rod 16, and the rebate 4 is provided to accommodate adjustments in the combined length of rod 16 and pin 17. As can be seen in Figure 4, cover strip 18 is channel-shaped to accommodate the locking pin 17 and is provided with longitudinal recesses 40 for the snap-in engagement of the projecting ribs 22 provided in rebate 21 of sash 10. In use, the locking pin 17 is snapped into axial linking rod 16 to provide an espagnolette drive rod of the required length for the particular sash, and this is then snapped into rebate 21 of the sash 10. Several different predetermined lengths of linking rod 16 can be provided, and length adjustment of the entire assembly is possible by selection of an appropriate length of linking rod 16 and then assembling it as desired with the locking pin 17. By providing a screw thread engagement between rod 16 and pin 17, finer adjustment can take place by rotation of pin 17 within the rod 16. Coverstrip 18 is then snapped into place between linking rod 16 and guide member 19 (which can also be snap fitted to the corner of sash 10). Instead of providing a plurality of different lengths of linking rod 16, and a fixed length locking pin 17, a fixed length linking rod may be provided, and a plurality of different lengths of locking pin may be provided. In this alternative, different lengths of cover strip would also be needed. Operation of the espagnolette mechanism is in the standard manner using the handle to move the mushroom head 31 into engagement with the cavity 32 of the keep member 33 and to cause longitudinal movement of linking rod 16 via drive device 15. Linking rod 16 slides within the rebate 21 and relative to coverstrip 18, and the locking pin 17 which is engaged within roughened portion 51 of the groove 50 therefore also slides along a path defined by aperture 20 of guide member 19 which is located at the corner edge of the sash 10. Engagement of locking pin 17 into a complementary recess provided in frame 8 enables sash 10 to be secured in relation thereto, thus providing a shoot-bolt mechanism in addition to the latching mechanism provided by roller cam 12. It will thus be appreciated that the present invention provides a locking system having an espagnolette bolt construction, which can be quickly and easily assembled with a snap fit into an edge of a sash. Furthermore, the length of the bolt construction can be adjusted quickly and easily by selecting a component from a range of different lengths of component, and assembling it with a fixed length further component. The method of assembly is very quick, due to the snap together arrangement. It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims: A sash formed with a rebate (21) therein extending longitudinally along its length, said sash being provided with an espagnolette locking system for its multi-point locking wherein an espagnolette bolt construction (16,17) is located within said rebate (21) for longitudinal movement therein, and wherein said bolt construction (16,17) locates in the sash (10) by snap fitting engagement within the rebate (21) in the sash (10) characterised in that said bolt construction and the rebate (21) are formed respectively with co-operating grooves (23) and ribs (22), so as to permit both the location of the bolt construction (16,17) with a snap fit of said bolt construction within the rebate (21) and to permit the bolt construction (16,17) to slide lengthwise of the rebate (21) on said ribs (22) after it has been located within the rebate (21). A sash according to claim 1, characterised in that a groove (23) is provided in each side wall of the bolt construction to receive with a snap fit a rib (22) provided on each face of the rebate (21) of the sash (10). A sash according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the bolt construction comprises a linking rod (16) adapted adjustably to receive a locking pin (17) by means of a snap-in connection. A sash according to claim 3, characterised in that the bolt construction is axially adjustable in length so as to permit its installation in window sashes of different dimensions, and wherein the bolt construction comprises a linking rod (16) and a locking pin (17) adapted to be connected together with a snap fit in any one of a plurality of different positions, thereby allowing the length of the interconnected rod (16) and locking pin (17) to be chosen to fit a particular size of sash (10). A sash according to claim 4, characterised in that a groove (50) of part circular cross-section is formed in the linking rod (16), one end of the groove being adapted to receive one end of the locking pin (17). A sash according to claim 4 or 5 characterised in that said locking pin (17) has a roughened end portion (52) adapted to be located within a complementary roughened portion (51) in said linking rod (16) with a force snap fit, thereby permitting the axial adjustment thereof with respect to said linking rod (16). A sash according to claim 6, characterised in that the roughened portion (51 or 52) of the linking rod (16) and/or the locking pin (17) is provided by a screw thread to permit fine length adjustment by rotation of the pin (17) and/or the rod (16) about its longitudinal axis. A sash according to any one of claims 4-7, characterised in that said window locking pin (17) is of a fixed standard length and said linking rod is of a length selected according to the dimensions of said sash (10). A sash system according to any one of claims 4-7, characterised in that said linking rod (16) is of a fixed standard length and said window locking pin (17) is of a length selected according to the dimensions of said sash (10). A sash according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the linking rod (16) is formed with tapered (27) side walls each terminating in a longitudinal groove (23) which allows the linking rod (16) to be forced into the rebate (21) in a frame member (10) of a window sash and to be held therein by means of the ribs (22) on the rebate (21) engaging in said grooves (23), but allows the linking rod (16) to the slide longitudinally along the rebate (21). A sash according to any one of claims 1-10 and further comprising two corner guide members (19), said guide members each including an aperture (20) therein to facilitate the alignment of a locking pin (17) during operation of the espagnolette locking system. A sash according to claim 12, in which said corner guide members (19) are connected to said sash (10) with a snap-fit.

Inventors: CHRISTMAS PATRICK ERNEST, SMITH JOHN COLIN, CHRISTMAS, PATRICK ERNEST, SMITH, JOHN COLIN
Applicants: SCHLEGEL SYSTEMS INC, SCHLEGEL SYSTEMS, INC.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: E05C9
IPC codes: E05C9